Trust
by Carol3059
Summary: Alec wakes up after being shot and is not himself. Max tries to help him through.
1. Chapter 1

I know this idea isn't the most original but I hope you guys like it. I just wanted to do my own on this idea. I haven't written for a while but I hope this is okay. I know this first chapter is short but it's just a prologue really to get the story started.

Don't own anything.

Max pressed down on the accelerator of the car she had stolen in an act of desperation. She risked taking her eyes off the road for a split second, glancing in the mirror to the backseat were Alec was lying, unconscious.

It seemed forever to Max, even with the speed she'd been going, when she finally pulled into the hospital. It was a risk, even with Logan's doctor, bringing him here. But it was a risk she had to take.

She had called Dr. Shankar before coming here and she was going to meet them there. As she pulled up and went to the backseat to see Alec, her heart sped up once more at the sight of him there and she flashed back briefly to what happened.

_"He's late." Max said, sighing impatiently. Alec rolled his eyes and stood up from were he'd been kneeling and watching for his contact. _

_"You didn't have to come, Max." He reminded her. "If you were just coming to bitch at me..." Max shrugged. _

_"I figured that if I came I could forgo the inevitable rescue mission for your ass." Truth was, she didn't like Alec going to these types of things without any backup. She and Alec had actually become friends over the past couple of months, and despite what sometimes came out of her mouth, she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. And after the world had found out about them, it had become twice as dangerous for them. _

_"Really?" Alec asked, smirking at her. "Cuz if I didn't know any better I'd say you were worried about me." Max opened her mouth to comment, snide remark on her tongue when Alec stilled suddenly and held up a hand. Max tensed as well, and her brow creased in a frown. _

_"What is it?" She whispered. Alec didn't answer but a split second later he was flinging himself to the side and tackling her out of the way just as a gunshot rang out. Immediately they were both up and rounded a corner of the building, hiding there. Max glanced at Alec, but he gaze focused on the arm of his jacket. Alec followed her gaze briefly and shook his head. _

_"Just a scratch." He said, looking around. "We have to get out of here." Max nodded. Her bike was on the other side, with the shooter, and besides, it was to open. _

_"There." Max said, spotting a car on the other side of the street. _

_"Think we can hotwire it before these guys blow us away?" _

_"Only one way to find out." They had almost made it to the car when another shot rang out and this time it hit the mark. Max heard the thud of Alec's body hitting the ground..._

Max paced the hospital hallway, waiting for Shankar to come out of the room. She still wasn't sure how she had gotten out of the alley way alive and with Alec still breathing, though barely. He had been hit in the head. Fortunately it wasn't what the shooter had intended and hadn't killed him, though it still might. Max stopped her pacing when the door the hospital room finally opened and Shankar came out.

"How is he?" She asked immediately.

"He's alive." Shankar said, and Max let out a relieved breath. "But I'm not sure what damage is done. The bullets out but he still may have some brain damage. From what I've seen of your genetics, though, whatever damage was done may heal, though. We'll just have to wait for him to wake up to see." Max nodded and went into the room.

--

Max spent the next day in Alec's room. He still hadn't woken up yet. She spent hours going through the possibility's in her mind of what kind of damage Alec could have suffered. It was nearly twenty hours after she had brought him in that Alec begun to stir.

Max had been leaning back in her chair, flipping through some magazine but not really seeing it. Truthfully she was restless and bored out of her mind, but she couldn't force herself to leave the room. In the end, she realized that maybe Alec meant more to her than even she would have admitted to herself, not that she'd ever tell him that. She'd nearly fell out of her chair when she heard him groan.

"Alec!" Max jumped up and leaned over him, relief in her voice and in her heart. He frowned, his eyes still closed and brought one hand up to his head. "Alec open your eyes." Max said forcefully, pulling his hand away from his head. She had expected him to say something about her bossing him around again. She expected a complaint, maybe. What she did not expect was the confusion in his dark green eyes as he opened them and stared up at her.

"Who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Max froze at the question and looked down into his confused green eyes. Alec stared at her for a minute, and then he looked around the room. When his gaze went back to hers, though, panic raged in his eyes and he tried to sit up.

"Alec, don't." Max said, pushing him back down. "Your still not a hundred percent."

"Alec?" He said, his eyes wide, and the panic in them grew. Max bit her lip as she watched him. _God, he really didn't know?_

"Calm down, okay." She said. "Your alright."

"Calm down?!" Alec practically yelled, and then he pushed her away from him and sat up. He got out of bed so fast that Max couldn't do anything. Panic fueled his movements, though and he backed away from her, blinking his eyes and shaking his head.

"I don't know you." He said, looking around the room again. Max took started to make her way around the bed but he took another step away. "Stay the hell away from me." He blinked again, trying to clear his vision.

"Alec, it's going to be okay." She said. Alec shook his head one more time before he faltered again and collapsed forward. Max blurred to his side and caught him before he hit the floor.

--

"Memory loss can happen with his type of injury, Max." Shankar said.

"But it'll come back, right?" She asked.

"Most likely, yes. Max, from what I know about transgenics, his natural healing ability's should make this temporary."

"Should?" Max asked, looking back into the room that Alec was once again sleeping in.

"Yes, it should. I'm not promising anything, but he should get it back." Max sighed and thanked her before going back into the room. She sat down next to the bed, and bit back unexpected tears as she watched him sleep, the full impact of what was happening to him hitting her for the first time.

She hadn't really let herself think at first. Settling him back down and then calling Shankar and she had forced herself not to think. But now here she was, in his room, and he wasn't talking yet.

Leaning forward, Max put her head in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening, really. Oh, she knew there was a possibility of one of them getting hurt, or worse, but this was a unexpected turn of events to say the least.

She had never really seen panic like that in Alec's eyes before. Not even when he had thought he was going to die. They had been in so many life or death situations since Manticore had burned down. Hell, after they had taken refuge in TC, just going into Seattle qualified as a life or death situation most of the time.

This was different, though. He was different. Even hurt, Alec was always the same, always had her back. And in the two months since they had been in TC, trying to keep everyone alive, they had actually grown a lot closer.

Max had thought it was out of necessity, really. A lot of the transgenics inside TC didn't much like her. Logan, Original Cindy, and Sketchy had been led out of the city only a few days after the JamPony siege, unable to stay in the toxic city.

Max had felt undeniably alone and closed off in the place, even though she was surrounded by lots of other transgenics. The only people that seemed to make that feeling go away were Joshua and, surprisingly, Alec.

It shouldn't really have been that surprising, though. They had actually become friends before the siege. Something just shifted. They fought still, but really it wasn't fighting anymore.

Truthfully, Max realized as she looked once more up at Alec, it hurt. It hurt that he didn't remember her. It hurt that he didn't recognize her, that he obviously didn't trust her. She realized how much she'd been depending on him lately, especially since they had been in TC.

Maybe he would get his memories back. After all, Shankar had been pretty sure that he would. But what if he didn't? What was she supposed to do with that? Lifting herself up, she leaned over him.

"Guess I'll just have to let you know you can trust me."

--

When he woke up the second time, the panic was still there after a moment of looking around the room, though it wasn't as sharp. He was alone in the room this time, and he took a moment to look at his surroundings.

He was in a hospital, he got that part, he just didn't know why. Other than the fact that he couldn't even seem to remember his name. Panic welled again and he closed his eyes, trying to control his breathing and get himself under control. When he finally did, he opened his eyes again.

He remembered the girl from before. Dark eyes and hair and calling him by a name that he didn't recognize. Reaching a hand up, he touched the side of his head and felt the bandage there and really that made sense, didn't it?

Letting his hand drop, he closed his eyes again and tried to remember more. Tried to remember something from before he'd woken up with her hovering over him. He groaned and snapped his eyes open when all he accomplished was making his head hurt worse.

Turning his head, he stared at the wall, and this time instead of panic, anger welled. Anger, directed at himself this time. They were there, he knew, his memories. He just couldn't reach them at the moment.

--

Max stopped short at the entrance of the room and walked slowly over to Alec's bedside. He was awake, but he didn't look at her. He kept his gaze on the opposite wall. She sat down in the chair.

"Hey." She said after a moment. "Are you alright?" Alec turned his head sharply and she sat back at the anger in his eyes.

"Am I alright?" He asked incredulously. "I'm freaking fantastic." Sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"I'm sorry." She said, quietly, thrown off guard for a moment by the response. Alec simply shrugged, though, and turned back to stare at the wall.

"I know this is hard..." She trailed off, unsure of what, exactly, to say. She'd dealt with amnesia before when she'd found Zack again, but this was different. Alec was different.

"Alec, what do you remember?" She asked finally.

"You mean, besides when I woke up earlier with you?" Max nodded before she realized he wasn't looking at her. It didn't matter, though, he wasn't really looking for an answer. "Nothing." Max sighed, and wondered if that was better or worse.

She remembered the way that Zack had been when he didn't remember anything but Manticore. Alec had come so far since he had gotten out, too. Then again, him not remembering Manticore meant she'd have to tell him everything. And preferably before they got leave to head back to TC.

"Well, my names Max." She started, feeling weird about this whole thing. Introducing herself to someone she'd basically spent more time with in the past few months that anyone else on the planet. "And we're..._friends_." He did turn back to her at that, and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't sound to sure about that." Confusion shown in his eyes and he frowned a little.

"Well, I mean, we are." She said, sounding more confident now. "It's just we weren't always the best of friends. We used to fight some..." She trailed off and he just stared at her.

"Alec. You said my names Alec, right?" He asked after a moment. She nodded. He nodded as well and turned back to the wall. "I don't remember it." His voice got softer and she could hear anger there.

"I know. But I'm going to help you. I promise." She stood up after he didn't answer her again. "How about you get some sleep. I'm sure you'll be let out soon." She wanted to reach out to him, but hesitated. She stalled in the doorway before finally leaving.

--

When she came back in the next time, he was awake again, this time with a newspaper in his hand. She frowned, wondering were he had gotten it. He looked up at her when she walked over to his bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, standing beside him. His eyes snapped to hers and Max could see the fury there again.

"I'm doing great." He opened the paper and breezed through it. "Hey, did you know that there was a terrorist attack that sent this country back to the dark ages in one night? Because I sure as hell didn't. Even though, you know, it happened when I was a _kid_."

"Alec-"

"Lots of other interesting things in here, too." He said, throwing the paper down by his feet. "Like super soldiers with barcodes." Max tensed at this, but Alec didn't seem to notice as he continued. "I mean, actual super soldiers. Oh, and lets not forget the fact that this entire city is closed off and practically no one can get out or in. Not that anyone would want to get in." He looked over at Max.

"Are you here to tell me something else I don't know?" Max shook her head, and reached out to him, taking his hand. She took it as a good sign when he didn't immediately pull away from her.

"Alec, it's going to be okay. I told you, I'm going to help you." She ran her free hand through her hair. "Look, the doctor says you'll get your memory back. But even if you don't, I'll still be here." She said it forcefully, and squeezed his hand. He rested his head back on the pillow and looked down at their linked hands.

"I don't even know you, not anymore." Max nodded, unable to help the hurt that welled up at the words, but at least she could hide it. She smiled.

"Yeah, but I know you."


	3. Chapter 3

He stared into the mirror, trying to recognize the image there. Dark blonde hair, green eyes, full lips...Hell, the face staring back at him was almost pretty. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling that anger and frustration welling up again.

He gripped the sink and tried once again to bring something up from his mind. Something that confirmed that the face staring back at him in the mirror or the name that Max had been calling him was his, but there was nothing. At least nothing he could find.

He didn't go back to his room immediately, though. He needed some time alone, needed to figure this out. Maybe not who he was, because apparently that wasn't going to happen at the moment, but to figure out what he needed to do.

He had a lot of questions but didn't really want to ask them. Max had been there some, and she was the only one there. He frowned as he thought about her. It was true that he didn't really have a choice but to trust her here, but he felt something there that he couldn't quite reach yet. Something that made him want to trust her.

His eyes snapped open when he felt it. He _felt_ another person there, standing behind him. It was a hospital, though, could have been anyone. But his eyes widened momentarily when he caught sight of the man and what he was holding in one hand. He dropped, turning as he did on instinct and the taser hit the glass that he had just been staring into.

--

Max sighed as she walked back into Alec's room. He was probably in the bathroom, she thought, as she noted the empty room. She had a major problem, though. They had to leave soon.

She'd already taken a major risk, bringing him to the hospital in the first place, and the more time they stayed, the bigger the risk got that someone else would find out they were here and that Alec was injured and vulnerable.

The problem with that was that she hadn't told Alec what they were yet, or where they lived. She sit down on the bed, frowning. How could she explain all this? He had read something in the paper about transgenics, but it was probably not really detailed, and more than likely biased. Most people didn't have much love for them.

She had no idea how he would react to the news. He might not even believe her. He hadn't really asked her any questions yet about himself and she was mildly grateful for that at least.

Getting up, she decided to go tell Shankar they were leaving. She was on her way down the hallway when she noticed it. There was another doctor, knocking on the bathroom door before giving up and moving on. She frowned slightly, but passed it off. Alec probably just wanted to be alone.

When she looked towards the front desk, she noticed another man standing there, in a suit. She watched, suspicion eating at her as he took a seat on one of the couches, but obviously keeping an eye out.

Max kept back against the wall, hidden behind a nurses cart and focused on the bathroom. Her eyes widened when her transgenic hearing picked up on the sounds coming from the inside of it, the sounds of a struggle.

--

Alec spun on instinct and came back up. Unfortunately, the world chose that moment to spin on him and he couldn't avoid the fist that flew in his direction and he dropped to the ground once again, this time not by his choice.

He landed on his side, and a kick to the ribs had him on his back a second later. He saw the knife coming and was barely able to stop it's progress. Bringing his hands up, he grabbed a hold of the other man's and the knife stopped only inches from his chest. Alec looked up at the man, into his eyes, which were filled with hatred.

"Your dead, 494." The guy growled, putting more weight on the knife. Alec barely heard him, though, and the knife pressed closer to his flesh. He felt his own rage rise and in a burst of strength that he didn't know he had, he pushed forward, slamming the knife's hilt into the guys chest before wrenching it away from him and, not thinking, head butted the guy.

He vaguely heard the crunch of the man's nose breaking and then the man was off of him, but Alec had a new problem. He was still recovering from a head wound, after all. The world spun dizzyingly and he fought not to throw up. He rolled over, managing to make it to his hands and knees, attempting to get up, before another kick to the ribs sent him sprawling again and the nauseous feeling increased.

He really didn't have time to think about it, though, as the guys foot came down again, this time on his head. He vaguely thought he heard the man saying something, but he couldn't really focus on it. He was barely able to stay conscious.

A minute later, though, he had the function to actually be surprised when someone started to pull him to his feet and a decidedly feminine voice started speaking, sounding concerned.

--

Max froze, unsure of what to do for a moment. She needed in their, of course. Alec wasn't in top shape, he couldn't take on a familiar like this. She glanced towards the waiting room once more, wondering how she could break the door down without attracting his attention and any others that were laying in wait.

Her decision was made, though, when she picked up a sound from the room and, throwing caution to the wind, she pushed off from the wall, throwing all of her transgenic strength into the door across from her.

It crashed open with a bang. She caught sight of the familiar standing over Alec with a knife in his hand before she brought her foot down on his face and he dropped backwards. She spared a glance at Alec before taking the metal trashcan and waiting for the other familiar to show his face. It didn't take long before he made his way into the room and Max didn't give him time to react, she simply brought the trashcan down on his head, destroying it and knocking him unconscious.

Turning, and very aware that they probably didn't have much time before someone else showed up, either security or more familiars, she bent to Alec and grabbed his arm.

"Alec, come on!" She urged. "You have to get up." Alec blinked up at her, his eyes slightly glazed but he let her pull him up and she put one of his arms around her shoulder, securing her own around his waist, helping to steady him.

"We need to go." She said again, pulling him towards the door. Alec nodded, closing his eyes briefly and walked more steadily beside her as they made their way out into the hallway.

Max stopped short on her way out, though, when she caught sight of two more familiars making their way towards them. She turned but found the other end blocked as well. Her eyes zoned in on White, at the other end and reaching into his jacket. She made a decision and dragged Alec into the only place she could, back into his former hospital room.

Alec was even more steady on his feet this time, thankfully and she let him go briefly to go to the window of the room and look out. She broke it out with an elbow and grimaced when she looked down.

"Sorry." She said to Alec before grabbing his arm and dragging him over with her and jumped, forcing him with her.

They landed in the dumpsters outside and Max came up, grimacing at the smell and trying to breathe through her nose, at the same time pulling Alec up as well. He seemed to be recovering from his fight as he grimaced as well and Max didn't have to help him out of the dumpster to much.

Max ended up having to steal another car and peeled out of the driveway just as several familiars came barreling out of the hospital. Max was several blocks away before she allowed herself to look over at Alec and think about where they were going.

"You okay?" She asked. Alec just stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and leaning his head on the windshield.

"Wonderful." Max sighed and chewed her lip. She didn't think that going to Terminal City was the right move at the moment, but were else could she go? Only one place came to mind and Max felt a sense of guilt as she turned the car towards Joshua's old place.

--

"Hey." Max said as she helped Alec into the house. Logan, startled, stood up from his chair and watched as Max sat Alec down on the couch in the room. He took in the bandage on Alec's head.

"What happened?" He asked, concern layering his voice as he watched her.

"Had a sort of accident." She said, keeping her eye on Alec.

"Are you guys alright?" Alec looked up at her when he heard the question.

"Max?" He said, confusion and fear shining in his eyes. His gaze flickered to Logan.

"Um, this is Logan, don't worry. He's a...friend." Alec simply nodded, but the look didn't go away. Logan was looking at her oddly, but Max refused to look away from Alec at the moment.

"What the hell is going on?" Alec asked finally, the fear coming through in his voice. "Those guys..." Max hesitated, and turned to Logan.

"Could you give us a few minutes?" She asked apologetically. She knew that it was slightly rude, considering the fact that they had barged in on the place he was living at now.

"I'll explain everything, later. Please, Logan?" Logan stared at her for a moment before he finally nodded and made his way out of the room. Max didn't miss the look in his eyes but she had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"Alec, I know this is all confusing." She sat down on the couch next to him.

"Confusing?" Alec said incredulously. "Max, that guy meant to kill me. Tell me what's going on. Tell me how I fought him off, too. Because I can't figure that one out either."

There was that fear in Alec's eyes again and Max had the feeling that he maybe had suspicions about why this happened. Max hesitated before she opened her mouth to start, fearing herself how he would take this news.


	4. Chapter 4

Alec stared straight while Max talked, refusing to look at her. He heard the words, but couldn't seem to process them at the moment. It took him a minute to notice the silence, the fact that Max had stopped talking and he forced himself to look over at her and meet her eyes.

"Alec?" Concern shown in her eyes and she reached out hesitantly to put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" He stared at her and she must have realized how stupid that question was because she smiled a little sheepishly and shrugged, but didn't remove her hand.

He turned back to the floor after a moment, though, trying to get the words to sink in. He didn't really want to believe her, and maybe he shouldn't. Who would believe something like this?

But then there was what he had seen in the paper and the more tangible evidence of the fight with that guy in the hospital bathroom. The guy who had wanted to kill him. The guy who had overpowered him. Which, okay, he had been shot in the head, but still...

"Who were those guys?" He voiced the question abruptly, and Max looked a little surprised for a moment. Like she wasn't expecting that to be his first question. But apparently he had a knack for avoidance.

"The bad guys." She said after a moment. He just stared at her, and raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "Government agents." She relented. "Sort of. One of the guys from the hospital, he was hired to kill us after Manticore was brought down."

"What the hell is Manticore?" He asked now. He hadn't read much of that article but he thought they had mentioned it. "And if I am a super soldier, how did that guy bring me down so easily? Even if I was wounded..." Max held up a hand.

"Manticore was a secret government project. Their who made us."

"Made us." Alec repeated, getting up off the couch, suddenly unable to sit still. He paced a little, his mind in overdrive. That article, he may not have read much of it, but he had read some. Killers, that was what it had called the transgenics. Trained killers. Was that what he was? Had he killed people before? And what if he had? Why else would the government do something like this?

"Those guys in the hospital..."

"Later." Alec said shortly, holding up a hand to cut her off. A guy could only take so much. He still wasn't fully registering _what _he had been told. The _bad _guys. He didn't know if he wanted to hear about them. What if they weren't the bad guys anyways?

"Alec." Max stood from the couch. She put hands on his forearms, stopping his pacing and looked up into his eyes. He had the feeling that she knew what he was thinking.

"I know what you read in the paper couldn't have been good." She said quietly. "But those people don't know what their talking about. They all hate us for one reason, and that's because we're different," Her voice rose a little in anger as she continued, "it's not fair, because I know their are good, hell maybe better people living in TC."

"Like you?"

"Like you." She said, her voice quiet again, but firm. Alec held her gaze for a minute, searching her eyes. His thoughts drifted back and as he looked at her, he was suddenly sure, even if he didn't know if he was one of the good guys or not, that she was.

He sighed and dropped back down on the couch. Max followed him, remaining quiet for a few minutes. He stared at his hands, wondering what he had done with them in the past.

"Look, why don't we stay here for the night, and then we can head back to TC in the morning." Max suggested. Alec nodded, but he barely heard her, really. She squeezed his shoulder briefly as she got up. "I'll be right back. It's going to be okay."

--

"Max, what's going on?" Logan asked after she found him in the small kitchen. She rubbed a hand on her temple and glanced back towards Alec.

"We had an accident." She said, dropping into one of the chairs. "Alec got shot." She elaborated after Logan only stared at her questioningly. "He, well, he doesn't remember anything."

"Are you saying he has amnesia?" Logan asked incredulously. Max nodded.

"I know, it's crazy. Our lives are crazy. Why should an injury of Alec's ever be simple, though?"

"There's nothing ever simple about a gunshot wound, Max, for anybody."

"I know that." Max said, exasperated. "I've just been wondering since this started if maybe Alec's cursed or something."

"Yeah, well." Logan smiled a little sadly. "I've felt that way myself before."

"Do you mind if we stay the night?" She asked abruptly. "I don't want to take him back to TC yet. I just had to tell him about it. Also, I need to call in. They probably think we're both dead by now."

"Um, yeah. Sure." Logan said after a moment, uncomfortable. Max felt a sting of guilt for asking him, but she needed a safe place for Alec to stay for the night, and TC might be too much for him to handle at the moment.

"Thanks." She said, getting up. She didn't miss the look in Logan's eyes. He didn't want them staying there. He still thought they were together, after all, but she didn't have a choice. She did feel her guilt grow as she walked out of the room, though.

--

Max stepped into the room and stared at him for a moment. It was nearly dawn outside and she caught sight of Alec, sitting by the window that Joshua had painted black months ago when he was still living there.

"Hey." She said quietly. "Couldn't sleep?" It was another stupid question, of course. Who would be able to sleep after everything he had gone through over the past few days?

"No." He said, not looking at her. "Can't seem to get my mind to shut off." Max nodded and walked over to sit beside him. Alec looked around the room, and his eyes landed on one of Joshua's paintings that he had left here when he moved to TC.

"Your buddy in there did this?" He asked, frowning. She watched him, wondering if he knew somehow that Logan didn't paint it.

"No, another friend actually. Name's Joshua. He's a good friend of ours. I talked to him last night. He's really worried about you."

"So, he's like us, too?" Alec asked, still not meeting her gaze. Max chewed her lip, trying to think about how she should answer that one. She knew she'd have to warn him before they got to TC, though. She didn't want him to freak out on her.

"Sort of. Alec, some of the transgenics in TC, they don't exactly look like us. I mean, it took a while for Manticore to come up with the right balance, I guess you'd say. Plus, there were others who were bred for other things..."

"I know." Alec said. "They had a picture in the paper of one of them." He shrugged. "I don't think I really believed what I was reading in the hospital, though." She nodded.

"How are you doing with all this?" He shrugged again.

"Not sure about that one." He said honestly, and she wondered not for the first time that if he had his memory would he be this honest? He looked down and stared at his hands, something she had seen him do the night before as well.

"I've been up all night, thinking about it. I mean, I know I should be more freaked out or something, right?" He looked up at her, and she could see the frustration and confusion in his eyes. "I believe what you said, Max. I guess it just hasn't really sunk in yet. I don't know. Maybe its cause I can't actually remember being the guy you're talking about." Max nodded and reached out to grasp one of his hands in her own.

"It'll come back, Alec."

"And until then?" He asked, the frustration still there, and maybe a little bit of fear.

"Until then, you have me." Alec stared at her for a moment and then a slow smile broke out on his face.

"Only until then?" He asked, and Max was shocked to see some of that familiar teasing light in Alec's green eyes. "So, what? We can only be friends because I don't remember why we used to fight all the time?" Max rolled her eyes and got up. She tugged him up as well.

"Come on. Let's go." She didn't release his hand as they headed towards the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Max stayed close to Alec's side as they made their way through TC. She was deliberately moving him on a path that she was pretty sure wouldn't end in them running into Mole or one of the others.

It wasn't that she had anything against Mole, exactly, but Max wasn't sure if it was best that Alec met him first. Mole was a little rough around the edges, and that was an understatement. Although, he did seem to have a soft spot, that had surprised even Max, for Alec since the siege.

Max chewed her lip a little nervously and looked over at Alec. He hadn't said anything as they walked through the city slowly. She'd seen a few X-series but that was it, thankfully.

"I know it's not the most ideal place to live." Max said when she couldn't take the silence anymore. She wasn't used to the silence from him.

"It's not the place that worries me." Alec said, turning his troubled eyes on her. "Something tells me that I've lived in worse anyways."

"Then what does worry you?" She knew, of course. She just wanted to give him a chance to talk.

"It's just..." He trailed off a moment, and waved his arm around the city. His eyes moved back towards the gate and outside were protesters were still hanging around. Max nodded. She knew what he was thinking, she could read it clearly on his face and in his eyes. That was another thing she was trying to get used to. All the walls that Alec had built up to guard that sort of thing had fallen the moment he had.

"I know, but we have to make a stand. If we don't, nothing will ever change. Out there, we split up and go separate ways and then what? We get picked off one by one by White or the police or even some of those assholes outside the gate."

--

Alec stayed silent after Max's speech, looking around the place that she said was his home now but didn't recognize. There was no way around it, Terminal City was a dump, but he had told the truth. That was not what bothered him about it.

He didn't like the feeling being in this city gave him and he wondered if he had felt that before he'd lost his memory the whole time he was here. They were closed in, trapped in this little city, and what was better about that?

Would anyone ever actually give into them? He doubted that one. But Max believed it, and maybe it was because she had to. He let out a sigh and run a hand through his hair before glancing over at Max.

She was another thing he couldn't understand. He didn't remember her, didn't know her, not really. He still felt drawn to her, though, and he didn't think it had anything to do with the whole transgenic thing. It was something else, something else that made him trust her when he didn't remember a damn thing about her before two days ago.

He'd also realized the night before, when he had stayed up all night thinking about everything that Max had told him that she was the only reason that he wasn't freaking out about all this.

He must not be normal, though. Even if his memories weren't there, his instincts had to be right? _They_ told him to trust her. _They_ told him that this was right. _They_ told him that he belonged here, with _her_.

Alec's thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone yell his name. He had a brief glimpse of a very tall man before he was grabbed a hold of and nearly lifted off the ground.

Those instincts took over and the first one was to fight, and he almost lashed out against the hold until he realized something that stopped him and left him stunned for a moment. The hold wasn't hostile, it was a hug.

The big man pulled back a few seconds later and Alec was met with a face that had him shocked once again. Joshua, he thought as he stared at the big guy, remembering what Max had told him.

"Alec alright?" Joshua asked. Alec forced a smile on his face. Joshua had startled him after all. There was something else, though, that got him past the freaking out stage he'd entered upon actually seeing Joshua.

Looking past Joshua's startling features, Alec met his eyes and saw guanine concern shining in them and relief for the fact that Alec was there, he guessed.

"Uh, sure, big guy. I'll be alright." Joshua smiled and pulled Alec into another hug and this time Alec couldn't help but to return it.

--

Max watched the display, a small smile forming on her face. She'd been a little worried when Joshua had come up so fast, worried that Alec would freak out. The worry faded though when Alec's wary, fearful look slowly changed at Joshua's demeanor and she heard him voice an assurance to Joshua.

When Joshua pulled him back into the hug and she saw Alec return it, her smile grew. Max had been a little apprehensive herself about Alec running into Joshua, but now she was glad they had.

She knew how Alec was around Joshua. They had actually hung out a lot before and after the siege and even though Alec had pulled Joshua into some pretty stupid things before, she knew that Joshua considered Alec a brother and she also knew that Alec felt the same way, even if he'd never admit it, at least not to her.

When Joshua pulled back the second time, Alec let out a smile at him and Joshua turned to Max only to envelope her in a hug as well.

"It's good to see you." She said. Joshua smiled again and looked between them.

"Everyone was worried." Joshua said. "Worried about Alec. Wanted to see for themselves." Joshua hinted, looking at Alec. Max looked over at him as well. Alec tensed slightly and shifted a little on his feet, clearly uncomfortable suddenly. Max frowned briefly.

"You know what? We can go say hi some other time, can't we?" Max said, making the suggestion to Alec more than Joshua. Joshua stared at Alec a moment and seemed to notice his discomfort as well. He nodded.

"Come on." Joshua said, exited. Forgetting about the others, Max figured because it made Alec uncomfortable, Alec grabbed a hold of Alec's hand and started towards the place that he and Alec had been staying together since moving to Terminal City. Max followed, smiling at Joshua's attempts to ease Alec's tension.

--

Alec looked around the tiny place and couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. He didn't recognize it. Hell, he didn't even recognize Joshua. It was getting to him, being here. Seeing Joshua. He couldn't go and see all these other people that Joshua claimed were worried about him when he didn't even know them.

He sat down heavily on a dusty couch in the room and only realized then that he was exhausted. He'd say that the last couple of days were his most exhausting but the last couple of days were technically his only days. He gave a start when he felt a hand on his knee and looked up to meet Max's eyes.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." She suggested. He looked breifly at Joshua and saw the concern back in his eyes but them Max was taking his hand again and leading him into another room were a makeshift bed was set up. He laid down heavily on it and was dimly aware of Max pulling his shoes off as he fell asleep.

--

Alec woke up with a start, breathing hard. His heart was racing out of control and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, caught in a terror that he didn't understand for the moment.

He lay there for a minute, trying to get himself under control enough to remember were he was. He didn't really remember the dream, well nightmare, but he did feel the horror lingering from it.

_Someone was screaming. _Reaching his hands up, he pressed his palms into his eyes. He didn't remember the dream, only knew that something terrible had happened and that someone _was _screaming. The bad part was that he thought it was him who was doing the screaming. And there was so much horror and anguish in that scream. His eyes shot open after a moment. He was pretty sure that he did not want to remember what had made him make _that_ kind of sound.

Deciding that sleep probably wasn't a good idea, Alec got up and started towards the other room. He stopped in the doorway at what he found. Joshua was there. He was in front of a canvas, painting something and Alec could hear very soft music coming from the small radio beside him.

"Hey." Alec said quietly, walking up beside him. Joshua turned to him, and grinned.

"Alec." He said. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I guess." Alec shrugged and looked at what Joshua had been painting.

"What are you workin' on?" Joshua's smiled grew but he simply shrugged.

"Not finished yet." He said, taking it away and putting up a new sheet. "Here," he held out the paintbrush to Alec, "you try."

"I don't know." Alec said, looking at the blank canvas.

"Just try." Joshua insisted and Alec sighed and took the brush.

--

Max had been on her way to check on Alec when she stopped short at the sounds coming from the tiny place that he shared with Joshua. Frowning she went to the door, which was ajar, and stopped, stunned in the entrance.

Joshua's paint was out and a canvas was there but it looked like they had abandoned it in favor of painting each other instead. In fact, at the moment, Joshua was chasing Alec around the couch with a paintbrush.

When Joshua caught up with Alec and proceeded to smear a glob of the paint on the side of Alec's face, Alec simply threw his head back and laughed. Actually laughed. One of those full bodied laughs that Max had rarely, if ever, heard from Alec in all the time she'd known him. She found herself smiling at the sight. Alec stopped short suddenly and looked over at her.

"Hey, Max." He said, the laughter still in his eyes. Max stepped into the room and shook her head as she surveyed it.

"Looks like you guys are having fun." She said. Alec grinned at her and pulled her to him, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. He pointed at Joshua, who was still grinning like mad.

"What do you think of my work?" He asked. Max smiled and shook her head again and then she realized something else and stepped out of Alec's arm.

"Your getting paint all over me." She said, trying to sound angry. Alec stared at her for a moment and then, to her surprise, he actually grinned and shook his head right back at her.

"You are way to uptight for this time of day, Max." He said and Max took a step back at the look in his eyes, at the familiar gleam she'd seen so many times before he'd lost his memory.

"Don't you dare." She said warningly. But Alec simply reached up and smeared a glob of blue pain down Max's hair and then backed away. And then ran when Max started after him.

"You better run, pretty boy."

"Oh, come on, Max." He called in a taunting voice as he ran to the other side of the couch, Joshua watching from the corner. "You look good with highlights." Max growled in mock anger and jumped over the couch, catching Alec off guard.

They both tumbled to the floor, Max on top. She reached over and smeared the rest of the paint on Alec and sat up, grinning triumphantly.

"I win." She declared.

"Alright, alright." Alec said, propping himself up on his elbows and staring up at her. Their eyes locked for a minute and Alec's smile faded as he looked at her. Max noticed several things at once at that moment.

Alec's hair was an utter mess at the moment with bits of paint in it. Both his cheeks were smeared with it as well. He looked, well, adorably hot. And then when her gaze locked on his, she saw something in his green eyes that she didn't think she'd ever seen before.

She was suddenly very aware that she was still sitting on top of him and jumped to her feet, offering a hand up to him as well. A noise from the other side of the room had her remembering that Joshua was still there as well.

"Well," she said, composing herself, "I guess I need to go clean up. Wouldn't do to talk to the troops like this." She hit Alec lightly on the shoulder but couldn't meet his eyes again. "See you later."

Max left the room, feeling decidedly uncomfortable about Alec for the first time in a long time, and this time not because of something he did. At least not on purpose.

Note: Well, this story is turning out a lot more fluffy and light than I intended. Hope you guys don't mind. This chapter, though...I'm not sure about this one. Especially the last scene. It took me awhile to write it and I hope it's okay.


	6. Chapter 6

Alec woke with a start, breathing hard. Turning over on his back and propping himself up on his elbows, he groaned when he realized that he'd only been asleep for a couple of hours.

He didn't remember what he'd been dreaming about, but once again, he was pretty damn sure it was nothing good. Collapsing back on the bed with a sigh, he considered trying to go back to sleep, but figured it would be a waste of time.

He got up and got dressed before wondering out to the other room. Feeling a little restless, he grabbed his jacket and started out. Hesitating only for a second at the door at the thought that Joshua might be a little worried if he was gone when he woke up.

He needed to get out, though, so he walked out of the place and found himself wondering the streets of Terminal City. It was the middle of the night at the moment but he did see a few others about.

He found himself a little lost in thought as he walked through the place. He didn't realize at first when he got to edge of the city and looked out at the gate that separated them from Seattle, frowning slightly.

"Might want to stay inside the lines, there." A voice said from behind him. Alec spun slowly and was greeted with a very new face. He'd seen some of the Transhumans, of course, and he had talked to Joshua, so it didn't really shock him when he met this person's eyes.

"Oh, gee. Thanks for the advice." Alec said, sarcasm coming into his voice (which he was beginning to think was a habit of his). "Before you showed up, I was thinking of taking a stroll through Seattle to see what happens." The transhuman gave him a look, taking out a cigar from his lips.

"You sure you lost your memory?"

"Max been talking about me, huh?" He asked, a grin forming on his face. "I'm pretty sure, Mole, that I don't remember you." He eyed Mole for a second. "From the looks of it, though, I'd say that's a blessing."

"Shove it, pretty boy." Mole said. "And I thought you said you didn't remember me."

"Don't." Alec said, starting past Mole. "Max told me there was some guy named Mole who worked here. Figured it was you. She _did _imply that this guy was the ugliest guy she'd ever seen."

"Well, not all of us can be as pretty as you." Mole said, a small smile forming on his face. "What the hell are you doin' walking around here, Cinderella?" Alec rolled his eyes before eyeing Mole again.

"You got anything to drink in this place?"

--

Alec fell into an easy sort of banter with Mole. He admitted that he actually did like the rough transhuman and he wasn't sure why, but he knew how to act around Mole. He guessed it was just instinct. But, damn, he must have been one sarcastic bastard before. Not that he hadn't already figured that one out before...

And he was more than grateful when Mole produced a bottle of whisky.

--

Max stopped short as she came out of the back office at the sound of voices in the other room. Sitting in the middle of the room at the table were Mole and Alec, a bottle of alcohol in between them.

She stood in the doorway for several seconds, listening to them talk and drink before Alec suddenly turned and stared right at her. He grinned.

"Hey, Max." He said.

"Hey." She said, walking over to them. She was surprised to see Alec out here, and a little bit guilty as well. She'd said she would be there when he wanted to meet the other residents of TC.

"I'm not a child, Max." Alec said, reading her thoughts. "I mean, I'm not quite sure how old I am, but I'm pretty sure I'm old enough to go out on my own." He met her gaze and she was surprised that, beyond the amusement, there was that openness again, the kind that she had rarely seen before his accident.

"I'm just going to..." She trailed off, gesturing over her shoulder and left the room. She stopped after she got herself far enough away and leaned against one of the buildings.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _She had run from Alec twice now. It was _Alec. _He was still the same person, only she'd never felt more awkward and nervous around him. When she'd first met him, she'd practically hated him, and then she'd considered him a friend.

It was his eyes that were unsettling her now. She'd never seen them like that. Before, Alec always had his guard up. She understood that, it was something he'd had to learn at Manticore.

She'd learn to read him in little ways as the months wore on after the world had found out about them. He was an expert at hiding what he didn't want you to know and he'd learned the hard way, more than once, that he couldn't show emotion at Manticore.

She'd learned how to guess how he was feeling from little things. Like the way he'd chew on his nail when he was thinking about something. The way he'd run a hand through the hair on the back of his head when nervous. The way his shoulders would slump just slightly when he was depressed.

His eyes, too, held some of it. He was good at hiding his emotions but it was still better than seeing him shut them down completely. She'd seen him do that as well, and it was a frightening sight. His eyes had been empty and cold, something that, even if he did hide, she'd never seen of him, not even when they'd been back at Manticore.

It had actually been about a month after the siege when they were ambushed out looking for supplies. Max wasn't even sure what happened, she wasn't there but she did remember the look in Alec's eyes when he'd carried Lyra, one of the X-6 children, back into Terminal City that night.

She'd already been dead but Alec had simply said that he wouldn't leave her there. When she'd met his eyes then, she'd seen it. Lyra was only twelve and had taken a strong liking to Alec from the first moment she had arrived in TC. She followed him out for the run when he'd told her that she couldn't go. She ended up dead for it. Max knew that Alec had blamed himself.

The look had faded after time, though, and Max had done everything in her power to cheer him up. He'd gotten better and she was grateful for that.

This was completely different though, and she didn't know how to handle it. After spending so much time with him, she was pretty sure she could handle Depressed Alec and even Cold Alec, but this threw her completely off guard.

He wasn't depressed or cold or anything like that. He was _happy._ She knew that too, because she could see it clearly shining in his green eyes. That was the bottom line of all this really. His guard was completely down.

He didn't remember Manticore or how horrible it had been. He didn't remember Rachel or any of the other horrible things that he had been forced to do or had been done to him. He didn't remember the reasons why he had guarded his emotions.

There was something else in his eyes, though, that had her a little bit freaked out, though. Some emotion that just couldn't be there, not with Alec, but was every time he met her gaze.

"So," Max actually gave a start at his voice, so lost in thought that she didn't hear him walk up. She turned to Alec. "That's the second time you've fled the same room that I've been in." There was confusion in his eyes as he met hers, and something close to hurt.

"Sorry." She said quickly. "I just had things to do."

"Like leaning against a wall and thinking really loud?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed and looked away.

"I've got a lot on my mind." She said. "Don't take it personally."

"Sure." He held up his hands, but there was no trace of fake amusement to cover up the worry that came to his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally after a minute. She looked over at him, surprised but he just shrugged.

"Look, Max. You _can _tell me if something's wrong. You've helped me a lot since I woke up in that hospital."

"Thanks," She said, smiling softly, "but I think I need to be alone for now." He nodded after a moment, and even reached out to squeeze her hand before taking off. She stared after him, her internal debate flaring up again after the encounter.

--

It was several hours later when Max found herself in front of Alec and Joshua's place. She wasn't even sure how she'd ended up here. She'd just been walking sort of aimlessly through the city and ended up staring at their door.

She debated with herself for several minutes on whether or not she should open it but before she could knock it was pulled open and Joshua stood, staring at her.

"Hey, Little Fella."

"Hey." She said, smiling up at him. She looked around the room as she stepped inside.

"Alec with Mole and some others, taking a tour of TC." She nodded, and turned, her eye catching on the painting that Joshua had on display for the moment.

"Whatcha painting this time?" She asked stepping up to it. Joshua smiled at her for a moment before stepping up as well.

"Max and Alec." He answered after a moment. Max gave him a startled look, which he only answered with a grin and she turned back to the painting. "Before." Joshua clarified for her. Before...Before Alec had gotten shot.

Max stared at the painting. It was a swirl of colors in a large circle. The outside colors were sort of disorienting to look at and clashed very badly against each other but as they got closer to the center, they got less bold and started to come together and matching in a way that had her reaching out a hand.

She touched lightly to the center of the painting, at the colors there, at how they matched perfectly.

"Max and Alec." Joshua repeated, touching the center as well. She stared at the painting for several seconds, blinking a little as unexpected and frustrating tears came to her for reasons she couldn't name.


	7. Chapter 7

Max sat her desk, not really seeing what was in front of her. She couldn't help it. Ever since she'd left Joshua and Alec's place, she'd been pretty much unable to think of anything but what Joshua had said and that painting.

Joshua had always been perceptive in a way that sometimes startled her. She remembered when Alec had been hurting over Rachel and Joshua had been the one to really see what was going on.

Sitting back, she thought back over the past few months. Sure, she and Alec had grown closer, but that didn't mean what he thought it did, did it?

She and Alec had been working so closely, surely she would have noticed if Alec was thinking of her differently. If he was thinking of her in that way. Even if he was unnaturally good at hiding his emotions.

Her mind flashed back to all the times since the JamPony siege. To the time right before he had gotten shot. Closing her eyes she remembered...something flashing in his eyes several times, usually when she mentioned Logan or went to talk to him.

Max's eyes snapped open and she groaned. She had never really thought about it before. She'd been happy to just think that they had been friends and that was it, really. Or was she just happy with that?

Thinking about everything that they had done together and how their friendship had progressed since they had gotten out of Manticore, she had to admit that from an outsiders point of view, it probably wouldn't look like just a friendship.

She'd been hurt when she'd realized that he couldn't remember her, that he didn't trust her. She'd been overjoyed when he told her that he did trust her after he'd woken up, even if he couldn't explain why he did.

She'd made a point of learning how to read his emotions and she usually knew what he was feeling now even though he hid it well. Well, he had hid it well before he'd lost his memory.

She'd gone out of her way, even ditching Logan, to help him afterwards. She'd been terrified when he'd first gotten shot, thinking that he could die. Her heart hadn't stopped racing and she hadn't been able to sit still until Shankar had assured her that he would make it.

She remembered when Zack had come back and how she'd sent him away because at the time because she hadn't been able to lose Logan. She tried to put Alec there and realized that she wouldn't have done the same thing.

It wasn't like she didn't love Zack, but the knowledge that she needed Alec, even more than she needed him or Logan, was startling. And she did need him. She needed him to be there and tease her when she was being to uptight. She needed him there to call her out when she was wrong. She needed him there to watch her back.

She had given up the cure once to save Alec's life, and that was when she'd hated him. Now, she was wondering if she ever really hated him in the first place. Maybe she saw some of the person that she'd seen over the past months then too?

She'd seen that person first when Rachel had died, but she hadn't really let him get closer to her right after that. She'd finally let him get closer when they'd had that conversation about Ben after she'd busted Alec out of jail.

Since then, they had gotten a hell of a lot closer and Max found herself seeking out Alec when she needed someone. God, she was such an idiot.

How could she not see this before? Admittedly she wasn't the smartest person when it came to this stuff. It had taken her over a year to admit what she had felt for Logan and by then it had been to late.

Logan...She had been so sure that he was the one for her. That he was it. That they would find the cure and be able to be happy. But it was wrong, wasn't it, that she'd confided in Alec and not the man she supposedly loved.

She had told Alec things that she had never been able to bring herself to tell Logan. One part of her saying that he wouldn't understand, another scared that he would reject her if he found out some of them.

She had known that Alec wouldn't, though. Known that he would understand, that she had done what she'd had to do. A small smile came to her face when she thought about his reaction to what she'd told him about Ben. He hadn't rejected her, he'd held her. And there was some part of her that thought Logan wouldn't, even if he could.

Standing up, she clenched her fist at the startling revelations and at how incredibly stupid she had been. It had taken a shot to the head for this to sink in! What the hell was wrong with her?

She hesitated as she started to the door. What if she was reading him wrong? What if she was reading the whole situation wrong? Maybe she should wait until he got his memory back?

Shaking her head in determination, she put down her doubts, and walked out the door. She'd waited long enough. She didn't want this to end the same way her relationship with Logan had. She couldn't wait a year with him too.

--

Max stopped in the doorway of Alec's bedroom and hesitated by the doorway. He was asleep at the moment, and she watched him for a minute, unsure of what she should do now.

Hesitating for a moment more, she walked slowly over to him and laid down carefully beside him. She turned towards him and watched him sleep for a moment. Reaching up, she brushed some of his dark blonde hair off his forehead and smiled when he let out a sigh and then opened his eyes.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Max?" Confusion shone in his eyes for a second. "What are you..." She smiled a little wider and rolled over on her stomach, resting her head on his chest.

"Sorry." She said after a moment. "I just figured out a few things." He was quiet for a few minutes and his eyes closed. She'd thought had gone to sleep.

"About time." He whispered, when she was just beginning to think she might of made a mistake.

"Yeah." She said, smiling as she buried her head in his chest and breathed him in. She fell asleep in record time, at least for her, content in a way she hadn't been in a long time.

Note: Okay, so I know I didn't resolve everything but I thought that this was a good place to end this one. I will, if anyone is interested write a sequel to this about Alec getting all his memory's back and Logan and all that other stuff that wasn't settled here. I just really wanted this one to be just about them. Just let me know if you'd like one or not and I'll start working on it. Thanks.


End file.
